1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to a toy depending on the action of a compression spring when compressed by added weight and external pressure in particular to a spring where the force of the spring and the added weight on top of the spring give the spring a long slow period, one full cycle, and a seemingly perpetual gyrating and/or bouncing motion. To the adult user it is educational, relaxing and pleasing. When doll like features are added to the weights, the base and the other controlling parts the entire unit reverts to a fascinating, bouncing, belly laughing doll appealing to children of all ages. In both forms it can be used for advertising purposes or as a decoration.
2. Description of Prior Art
Springs as a support and a means of dampening bouncing weights go back to the discovery of steel. However, all patents applied for were either for dampening devices, such as shock absorbers, door operators or pop-up devices such as Jack-in-the-Boxes. There apparently was no need for industrial devices utilizing a free gyrating and bouncing motion. Toys and amusement devises on the other hand tried to evolve into the gyrating and bouncing motion but failed.
One of the earliest spring action toys was a pop-up as shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 202,990 issued Apr. 30, 1878 to C. E. Chinnock for a Jumping Toy the spring of which was compressed into a pneumatic device that delayed pop up. To escape the pneumatic control the spring had to be heavy duty causing the base to leave the ground when activated and this along with the friction of the clothing covering the spring made this a one shot deal with no gyration.
The next spring action toy is shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 1,276,224 issued Aug. 20, 1918 to J. Isaacs for a Figure Toy in which a heavy duty compression spring mounted to a base has attached to the top of it an extra heavy weight head with a full body that entirely covers the spring. The Head is depress and released. The weight of the head makes it a projectile with the sole purpose of propelling the spring and its base off the ground and have the base make a noise when it lands. The weight of the head, the heavy duty spring required, the friction of the body cover and the raising of the base off the ground all make this a one shot pop-up action with no gyration.
Another such spring body toy is shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,224,456 issued Dec. 10, 1940 to M. M. Janas for a Toy Doll where the spring is used to allow manual manipulation, stretching and bending, of the body, which then slowly returns to its original shape due to the resilient memory of the spring. There is no gyration.
The first of many spring mounted hobbyhorses as shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,452,869 issued Nov. 2, 1948 to D. L Richards for a Hobbyhorse where the child sits on the horse and rocks back and forth. The strength of the spring necessary to support a child prevents bouncing. Over the years the chain legs where replace by an every increasingly stronger, stiffer, heavy spring and sometimes concealed guides that limited rocking such as shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,093,198 issued Jun. 6, 1978 to T. L Petersen for a Coil Spring Device.
‘Rapid vibrating motion’ was achieved as shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,464,665 issued Mar. 15, 1949 to G. Anderson for a Spring Supported Figure where a spring, loosely wound encompasses a light weight figure and is hung from a stand. The weight of the spring extends it downwards simulating a cage. Any force applied to the spring causes it to ‘vibrate’. This indicates an extremely light weight figure, almost weightless, and a fairly heavy duty spring which causes rapid slight oscillations (vibrations). The spring is an extension spring, not a compression spring. The spring used in a Slinky is an extension spring. If the base of the spring is set upon a table and the top released, the top will settle down completely around the figure with the coils making very close contact with each other. The spring cannot be compressed. The spring action only works when the device is hung or held from the top.
A compression spring, vertically mounted, is shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,901,862 issued Sep. 1 1959 to N. Thomas for an Articulated Toy which consists of a standing doll with head mounted on top of the spring and with feet mounted on the base of the spring and arms pivotally mounted to the base of the head and holding a glass of beer. The doll is fully clothed. When you press down on the dolls head he lowers the glass of beer. When you release the dolls head he raises the beer to his mouth. Gyration is not a factor in this patent.
A compression spring, vertically mounted, is shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,176,431 issued Apr. 6, 1965 to D. W. Richardson for a Resilient Action Figure Toy in which a vertically standing compression spring has weightless ‘simulated facial characteristics’ attached to the front of the spring and weightless simulated feet attached to the bottom of the spring. Because this spring as shown is basically just a spring it will just pop-up into the air at an angle and in combination with the facial features attached to the front of the spring unbalancing it, it will fall over before it oscillates. The inventor, therefore, made claim to a modified spring with a ‘lower helical’ spring that has a lower center of gravity, with a ‘larger relative diameter’ and flat base with an attached upper ‘relatively smaller diameter’ helical spring. The action of these two springs connected as described goes against Newton's Laws of Motion and Hooke's Law. Hooke's law F=−kX states that these two springs can never oscillate in unison at the same cycle and will fight each other. Newton's Law of action and reaction states that the opposing oscillations will balance each other out, the larger lower spring almost instantly consuming all the kinetic and potential energy of the smaller upper spring. The upper spring will never oscillate or sway independently. It will vibrate a few times and stop becoming an excessive dead weight. The bottom spring with its low center of gravity and heavier spring wire with a wider diameter base and an excessively heavy head will be unable to sway horizontally or maintain a vertical oscillation for any ‘prolonged periods of time’ as claimed. Also depriving it of the ability to oscillate for any prolonged period of time is the low profile of the spring with the coils very close together. The low profile helical shape does not allow one to depress it enough to give it the necessary energy it requires, and the spring with its flat base will still jump off the ground at an angle dissipating immediately what little energy is put into the action.
A compression spring, vertically mounted, is shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,501,861 issued Mar. 24, 1970 to A. E. Goldfarb for a Game Apparatus And Time-Delayed Action Unit in which a head with suction cup is attached to the top of the spring but the spring sits on a base to which it is not attached. The suction cup is pressed against the base and slowly releases causing the head and the spring to pop-up. No gyration is involved. The reason for including this patent in our search documents is that from this patent evolved the ubiquitous wobbly-headed figures for which apparently no patent was ever issued. If a patent where issued it would indicate a concealed, lengthy, stiff spring which simply allows the head to wobble back and forth and not up and down and requiring continuous activation such as a bouncing car.
In a gyrating toy of the present invention the safety features of assembling the spring to the weights, the safety features in operation, the durability of its construction, the utilizing of the weights and spring in accordance with Newton's and Hooke's Laws to obtain a vastly longer duration of gyration with a slower, higher and more pleasing cycle as opposed to a vibration, the stability of the toy when standing alone, the ease of production, the aesthetics of the toy and/or of the doll enable the toy to be used safely, easily and enjoyably by both adult and child.